en masse

The second open beta for TERA’s console edition arrives on March 16th, but if you weren’t part of the first test, you won’t be part of the second. Seriously, it’s only available to testers from the first round, that’s just the way it is. (One could argue that isn’t the definition of an “open” beta, but let’s not quibble.) Of course, it’s also running for only two days, so it’s more about being around for stress tests as well as putting a variety of bug fixes and UI improvements to the test for veterans.

The level cap for this test has been buffed to 58, with players able to unlock the Reaper class once they successfully hit level 40. (Whether or not you should fear it is an open question.) Taking part will also net participants a Blue Angel Halo, if you needed a little extra bribery to get you motivated. So pop on in and see if the changes have significantly improved the experience of playing the game.

Feel like punching something hard in the face? Then get over to TERA, where the Male Brawler has joined his female counterpart in the game’s lineup.

The Male Brawler has his own style and moves as he throws punches with his giant powerfists (that’s a thing, we didn’t make that up). He comes alongside of a few other features in this update, including the re-balanced Ruinous Manor dungeon, seven new hairstyles, and PvP leaderboards.

En Masse is throwing a series of events for the remainder of the month to celebrate the patch. These include handing out a free character slot from now through March 20th, a “level up box” for Male Brawlers leveled to 15, and a couple of weekend warriors events that pay out in free lootboxes.

GIbiz reports that Bluehole and PUBG Corp have bought up MadGlory. We don’t know how much money changed hands, but we do know that the company is primarily focused on “custom matchmaking engines” and other multiplayer tools. The publication suggests that the newly dubbed PUBG MadGlory will be working on the PUBG Developer Portal coming out in April, which will basically allow community modders access to the API.

And MMO Culture has a brief piece out on Bluehole’s acqusition of Red Sahara Studio, a mobile studio that will be working on another TERA spinoff.

So, how did the first open beta for TERA on consoles go? In brief, it went well. In more words… well, why not take a look at the recap on the official site? There were some performance issues and some problems, and as a result the team is holding a second open beta this weekend to identify and fix some of those problems. Players who want to take part should leave the client on their consoles so that they can update quickly.

Players also managed to unlock all of the stretch goals for participation over the weekend, which means that all players will earn special masks upon logging in at the official launch. In other words, it wound up going pretty well! And you’ll have a little more time to test the game from the comfort of your couch again, so it works out well no matter what.

The open beta for TERA’s console edition has arrived, and as a result, the developers want the servers under pressure. It’s the only way to be sure that when the game launches they can handle the mass of players logging in, after all. So how can you help with that? Get into the open beta and stress the heck out of those servers, obviously. There’s even a schedule of specific stress windows just for logging in and staying logged in on Saturday and Sunday (March 10th and 11th, don’t you know).

Players can also earn rewards by getting up to the open beta level cap of 38 during the open beta period. In fact, you’ll earn rewards for every 10 levels you reach, but the best rewards are reserved for those at level 38. So get into the game, stress those servers, and start pushing yourself to the level cap. It’s how you win fantastic prizes, after all.

Feel like punching a wall sometimes? That’s probably a bad idea, what with walls’ general reluctance to give way and your brittle hand bones starved for vital calcium. But you can get the virtual effect for some visceral fisticuffs if you head into TERA Online this week, thanks to the addition of the Male Brawler class.

This male version of the already-present Female Brawler is mainly a cosmetic variant rather than a genuinely new class. While both genders have the same moves, they differ in their animations and style. Sometimes that is enough, you know?

Patch 66 also increased the maximum number of character slots to 19, reopened the Ruinous Manor for conquest, added new hairstyles, and instituted PvP rankings for comparison purposes.

Aside from pet discarding, the update also contains new uses for Passkey Shards, an Arena rework, and new class balancing. You can also challenge Vojack for loot for a limited time, as he’ll only be around until April 18th in his own special Danger Zone. (Presumably, you’ll need to take a highway to get there.) Check out the full patch notes for all of the changes, or just start thinking of which pets you’ll donate as an “example” to the other ones.

Are you Team Tina or Team Harpy? By the blank stares that you are giving us, we are guessing that you’re not playing Closers are the moment. But you could be — and then you might become invested in the next playable character to be added to the game.

Right now, En Masse is running an in-game event through which players will be able to influence the choice of a new character. Through March 14th, players can craft either a Tina or Harpy token by accomplishing various in-game tasks, and then use that token to cast their vote. If this isn’t enough election thrills, players can also craft 8-bit masks to wear because this is how it’s done in video game politics.

The two characters won’t merely be cosmetic variants of each other but will feature different playstyles. Tina is a gun-toting marksman while Harpy uses kinetic playing cards. The winner will be revealed on April 3rd.

Still pumped for TERA’sXbox One and PS4 launch this spring? En Masse sure is. The publisher has pushed out a new trailer today giving players a “first look” at what gameplay will look like on console – and what exactly is changing along the way.

“The new trailer released today demonstrates the detail of improvements made to TERA: streamlined interfaces, intelligent button mapping, and new gameplay systems complement TERA’s trademark fast-paced combos, dodging, and targeting mechanics,” says the studio. The port is promising native voice chat, a lock-on system to keep enemies square on your screen, new remappable per-class control schemes, and Twitch integration. While the video shows some classic hotbars galore, En Masse says the UI is being “redesigned with a new, fully customizable Radial Menu for quick and intuitive access weapons and items.”

The open beta begins Friday, but you can take a peek at the new trailer right now.

On this week’s show, Bree and Justin dive into deep mysteries, get ready for a slice of RIFT Prime, and once again try to figure out just what the heck Daybreak is doing with its H1Z1 franchise. Also, BREE SINGS. It’s as amazing as you always imagined.

It’s the Massively OP Podcast, an action-packed hour of news, tales, opinions, and gamer emails! And remember, if you’d like to send in your own letter to the show, use the “Tips” button in the top-right corner of the site to do so.

A lot of games have found ways to play with the idea of buying gold, usually with some form of currency exchange regulated by the game: You buy an item for subscription time with real money, someone else buys it for gold, you get the gold. TERA has decided to cut out the middleman with the Federation Gem Crates. You buy those, you get gems. What do you do with gems? You sell them to merchants for a lot of money.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a lootbox without some element of randomness, so you’ll never be sure of exactly what you get within a given crate. There are four different gem packages available, each one retailing for a different amount from merchants, so you could luck out and get a lot of money or wind up with very little money on a whole. But probably not, as player trial runs have shown it’s a bad bet.

The flashy and colorful action MMO Closers is going to work hard to keep its players interested in the months following the game’s release. En Masse posted a development roadmap this week that takes the community through all of the updates planned for the first half of this year.

So what’s on tap? The game’s next playable character, Nata, is joining the roster to be followed by the announcement of another character coming down the pike. The studio also is working to refit the Sky Ship area for sometime in March.

Then in the April through June window, you can expect to see an April Fools Day event, the addition of the Wolf Dogs faction, a level cap increase, the Gremory Laboratory and Union Temp headquarters, and a Planar Gate raid.

“The Open Beta for TERA on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system will run from March 9, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Pacific (PST) until March 12, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. Pacific (PST). PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players will have access to the Beta by visiting the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store beginning on March 9.”

En Masse says Bluehole “has taken great care to adapt the vast world of TERA and its best-in-genre action combat to console platforms. […] Consoles need a solid MMORPG and TERA is prepared to deliver.” Well now, that’s a lot more confidence than the teams had a few months back! Formal launch on both is still expected later this spring. Check out the announcement vid down below!